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Tien wrote: “Out of compassion for them that I revealed the wisdom of the Buddha. But it was really a mistake that I try to introduce Dhamma to people without first attained to the Dhamma myself.”
One does not need to attain the Arahantship or even the Sotapanna stage, before one can try to explain Dhamma to others (to the extent that one comprehends it). That is what most of us are doing.
But my position is that I try to avoid “debating” with those who try to make arguments against Buddha Dhamma just for the sake of debating. I will try to explain to the best of my ability and if they do not seem to be able to grasp the key ideas, I just stop responding.
– The Buddha said that trying to teach Dhamma to those who are obviously resisting, is like begging a woman after she has already said “no”.
– Buddha Dhamma is precious and does not need to be “forced upon”. Each person can make his/her own decisions based on the facts presented.Different people have different capabilities, ditthis, etc. We all have had taken such stubborn positions in the past and that is why we are also still in the rebirth process and are still subject to suffering.
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The 20 factors on the wholesome side are the removal of the 10 types of miccha ditthi and getting to the 10 factors in the Noble Path: Sammā Ditthi, Sammā Sankappa, Sammā Vācā, Sammā Kammanta, Sammā Ājiva, Sammā Vāyāma, Sammā Sati, Sammā Samādhi, Sammā Ñāna, and Sammā Vimutti.
– Note here that one needs to complete two more factors (Sammā Ñāna, and Sammā Vimutti) beyond the eightfold path factors to become an Arahant.When one has one or more miccha ditthi, one is on the wrong path. Those are the first 10 factors on the unwholesome side.
When one has many of those miccha ditthi, one will be going down the wrong path, and will end up with unwholesome 10 factors that are opposite of the 10 factors for an Arahant: micchā Ditthi, micchā Sankappa, micchā Vācā, micchā Kammanta, micchā Ājiva, micchā Vāyāma, micchā Sati, micchā Samādhi, micchā Ñāna, and micchā Vimutti.So, those are 20 factors to the unwholesome side.
Even though those last 10 factors are not explicitly stated in the Maha Cattarisaka sutta, they are implicated there. Those are explicitly stated in several suttas including “Sādhu Sutta (AN 10.134)” and “Micchatta Sutta (an 10.103)“.
I may need to re-write the post on Maha Cattarisaka sutta to make this more clear.
I realized that I had not answered this part of Siebe’s question: “.. what does ending of sakkaya ditthi personally mean for you in daily life?”
When one gets rid of sakkaya ditthi, one understand deep inside that there is nothing in this world that is worth killing, stealing, lying, etc, i.e., harming other living beings, especially humans.
– Such actions (dasa akusala) are going to bring much more harm than any temporary sense gratification.The key is that one will AUTOMATICALLY respond to day-to-day situations with that mindset WITHOUT having to think about it. That saññā will be permanently ingrained to one’s mind (and that will hold through future lives); see, “Saññā – What It Really Means“.
– That change of mindset comes about by contemplating on the basic key factors that I discussed in my previous post above.Here are a few key points to think about.
1. Sakkaya ditthi is one of three samyojana that need to broken to attain the Sotapanna stage of Nibbana.
2. Samyojana are “bonds” that binds one to the rebirth process (also called sansara or samsara).
When all ten samyojana are broken, one will be free of all attachments (bonds) to the rebirth process, and will never be born anywhere in the 31 realms of this world, none of which is suffering-free.
– There is absolutely no suffering in Parinibbana (after the death of an Arahant).3. Sakkaya ditthi is really about the first comprehension of the sufferings and the dangers in the rebirth process. We tend to think in terms of human births, and tend to disregard other realms.
– But most humans are reborn in the four lower realms including the animal realm. That is the danger to be understood in order to break sakkaya ditthi, a bond to the rebirth process.4. Sakkaya comes from “sath” + “kaya”, where “sath” means “good.” Now, “kaya” can mean two things: one’s physical body or one’s actions.
Sakkāya ditthi encompasses mainly two views: (i) “I am my body,” and I need to keep it beautiful above all. (ii) I can achieve happiness by diligently pursuing (good) things in this world.
– More details at, “Sakkāya Ditthi is Personality (Me) View?”So, these are the key points that one needs to contemplate on, if one wants to overcome sakkaya ditthi and to attain the Sotapanna stage.
October 6, 2019: Ihave replaced original #4 and #5 with just #4 above.
After looking into this, I realized that answer to Siebe’s question is not to be found in a sutta.
He asked: “Does anyone know a sutta reference that shows the 5 heinous crimes lead directly to birth in hell after death?’
and,
“I am more specifically searching for a sutta which clearly states that those listed heinous crimes after death immediately lead to rebirth in hell.”Those five types of strong kamma are called ānatariya kamma (that invariably bring vipāka at the death the current physical body, i.e., will not be carried to future lives).
The five five types of ānatariya kamma are defined in the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, not in the Sutta Piṭaka. They are listed under Pañcakamātikā as: “Tattha katamāni pañca kammāni ānantarikāni? Mātā jīvitā voropitā hoti, pitā jīvitā voropito hoti, arahanto jīvitā voropito hoti, duṭṭhena cittena tathāgatassa lohitaṃ uppāditaṃ hoti, saṃgho bhinno hoti—imāni pañca kammāni ānantarikāni. (9)”.
See, “Khuddakavatthu Vibhaṅga“.
I will write a post in the future on this, but the word “anantariya” comes from “na” + “an” + “antara”, or “without delay”.
While other kamma vipaka may be realized in future lives, vipaka of anantara kamma will occur in this life of more commonly at the end of this life.There are “good anantariya kamma” too. For example, if one cultivates jhana, one will be born in a brahma realm at the death of the current physical body.
Here is the complete sutta that Christian quoted:
“Parikuppa Sutta (AN 5.129)“: “Pañcime, bhikkhave, āpāyikā nerayikā parikuppā atekicchā. Katame pañca? Mātā jīvitā voropitā hoti, pitā jīvitā voropito hoti, arahaṃ jīvitā voropito hoti, tathāgatassa duṭṭhena cittena lohitaṃ uppāditaṃ hoti, saṃgho bhinno hoti. Ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca āpāyikā nerayikā parikuppā atekicchā”ti.”I think the translation of the first sentence should be: “There are these five actions that maximally disturbs the mind via attachment to eight things and will lead to birth in an apāya or niraya”.
– But it does not specifically say that one would be born in the apayas immediately following the death of the current physical body.The key words are parikuppā (completely disturbed mind) and atekicchā (strong attachment to eight asaddhamma or “bad things”).
– It is not possible to do such an action without a fully perturbed mind (parikuppā).
– Atekicchā is explained in the “Devadattavipatti Sutta, AN 8.7“.P.S. I revised the above comment regarding the word atekicchā after doing some more research; see my comment below.
Per original request by firewns, just published a post:
“Do Buddhists Pray and Engage in Idol Worshipping?“These four categories of persons are discussed in the posts: “Sutta – Introduction” and “Sutta Learning Sequence for the Present Day“.
However, the sutta that you quoted was not referenced and I just revised the two posts to add the reference.
Thanks, Christian!Hi Tien,
Yes. The death of the physical body is not the end of a human being. The “mental body” or the gandhabba comes out and waits for another womb. That is part of the rebirth process.
Sometimes, as mentioned in the video, gandhabba goes back into the body and the body comes alive. There is a lot a evidence for such Near-Death Experiences (NDE). Some are discussed in, “Manomaya Kaya and Out-of-Body Experience (OBE)“.
Siebe’s questions:
“Are those underlying tendencies when they start to become active a kind of mano sankhara and do they evolve to vaci sankhara?”– Those underlying tendencies are in one’s gati, asava/anusaya. Based on a sense input trigger, they could be “re-awakened” and arise as mano sankhara automatically. Then one may start consciously thinking about it (vaci sankhara), and even may do bodily actions (kaya sankhara). If one is mindful, one could stop those vaci sankhara.
“If so, are they as mano sankhara not able to cause rebirth?”
– As explained above, those gati and asava/anusaya are strengthened not by mano sankhara, but by subsequent vaci/kaya sankhara.
“Does an underlying tendency have to become active (stimulated by a sense-input) to cause rebirth, or is just the presence of an underlying tendency (anusaya) sufficient condition to cause rebirth?”
– Yes. An underlying tendency (gati, asava/anusaya) have to become active (stimulated by a sense-input) to cause rebirth. However, a particular gati, asava/anusaya is triggered by a kamma vipaka at the moment of death (or more accurately at the cuti-patisandhi moment).
More details at: “Dhamma, Sankhara, Sankata, Rupa, Vinnana, Gati, Asava, Anusaya“
Hello AxelSnaxel,
I have sent you an email with contact information for one disciple of Waharaka Thero. I do not know them personally and have not visited the place. I live in the United States.
That is the only place that I know for sure that you can communicate with them in English. You can write to them and see.
Thank you, firewns and Siebe!
There is another sutta which describes how planting of Bo trees was recommended by the Buddha himself:
When the Buddha was absent from Jetavanarama devotees naturally missed him, so Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant, asked the Buddha what in his absence might be used to pay homage to him.
– The Buddha answered that bodily relics, things reminiscent of him and things that he had used, in particular the great Bodhi Tree under which he had attained Enlightenment.
– Ven. Ananda then had a seed of the Bodhi Tree brought to Jetavanarama and planted so that it would be, as the Buddha himself said, as if the Buddha were constantly present at Jetavanarama.If anyone knows which sutta it is, please provide the name.
Welcome to the forum, Vindhya!
You asked: “Can you please give your references for chakkavala being the solar system and not the Milkyway Galaxy?”.
Please see, “31 Realms Associated with the Earth” and “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27)“.
There are something like 250 billion stars (i.e. cakkavala) in the Milky Way galaxy according to the scientists. So, it is yet unclear how to make a direct comparison.
